


A Winter Welcome

by Lucivar



Series: Summer Shivers [3]
Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Banter, Christmas, Dancing, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Fluff, Games, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:42:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28081854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucivar/pseuds/Lucivar
Summary: It’s the Cooper/Jones family Christmas and everyone is home for the first time since Charles and Kevin’s wedding.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Series: Summer Shivers [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973374
Comments: 32
Kudos: 87
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	A Winter Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> All the love to [@pinklisalizard](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/pinklisalizard) who drew me this super hot picture for this fic! I hope you love it too!  
> 

“Jesus Betty! That ring, my dear!” Kevin squeals and takes her hand to examine the jewel like a discerning merchant. “Look at all those little diamonds too. You said it was a sapphire right? I didn’t know they came in pink!”

Betty smiles as Kevin holds her hand in his. “I didn’t either, he just picked something he thought I would like…”

“It’s so perfect for you,” Kevin says softly and pulls her into an easy hug. “He’s loved you for so long. I’m so glad he can express it through his cute little romantic side now. Plus, now at least, he’s stopped seething and brooding and he’s just pining. It’s a marginal improvement to group dynamics, so thank you.”

Kevin casts a loving glance across the room at Charles and says, “You’ve got to get yourself a romantic one; they really pay attention to the little details of what you love.”

Betty flushes, thinking of the past couple of months of adorable letters Jughead has sent her (via snail mail!), Snapchats of his hot body (every day as per request, _helloooo shower pics_ ) and all the times he has ordered her take-away food while she has been too busy studying to think about it. 

“Yeah,” she whispers, feeling her heart swell. “He loves me a lot.”

“Who, Jughead?” JB interjects munching on a handful of pretzels. She rolls her eyes dramatically. “You’re all he ever talks about now.”

Kevin smirks at her. “What do you mean, now?”

JB snorts and then coughs loudly as a piece of pretzel has clearly inserted itself in the wrong tract. Once she has finished spluttering, she emerges red-face and grinning. “Ha! Good point Kev.”

Kevin folds his arms and gets this look on his face that Betty can only describe as “delighting in the prospect of mischief”. Alarmingly, the same expression is shared by JB. 

“Although, you do have a point JB!” he concedes gracefully with a broad sweep of his hand. 

“He talks about you way more now because he doesn’t have to wait for someone else to bring you up in conversation,” JB smirks, slapping her chest with her fist a few times in good measure. “Now it’s all “oh did you see Betty’s latest Instagram photo? Hearteyes, right?” and “Did you know that Betty got a 97 on her latest paper, isn’t she so smart? Hearteyes, right?” and “Betty and I are going to get a dog when we live together, did you know? We spent four hours looking through pictures online the other night. Hearteyes, right?” Blah blah blah, so on, so forth. At least you have more interesting things to say when you talk to me.”

Betty grins through the blush on her cheeks and quips, “Yeah that’s because I know you get all my stores via Jughead.”

JB grins maniacally and pulls her into a giant embrace. Ever since dating Veronica, JB has become so much more affectionate and it’s lovely to see. Despite Betty being the third wheel in their relationship now, they all still use the group chat daily to post updates about their lives. JB graces them with little clips of her shredding in her bedroom, Veronica with ones of her attempting new sewing techniques at three in the morning and Betty surrounded by coffee and papers. 

“Plus, all you do is talk about Veronica,” Betty points out, not unreasonably. 

“That’s because I am the most interesting thing in her life,” Veronica says smugly and wraps her arms around JB’s midsection, “Right JB?”

“My Queen V, I am nothing if not a loyal subject,” JB jokes and Veronica tickles her sides until she squeals. Swatting Veronica away, JB wraps her in a tight bear hug, reminiscent of their vampire-bite over chilli that one evening last summer before they got together. “Plus, you guys all know that I’m just balls-deep in music these days.”

Kevin snorts at this.

“Yeah but you’re touring! It’s so exciting,” Betty gushes. She had seen the Serpents on tour twice: once in Chicago, where she went with some of her college friends (they were both surprised and alarmed to see her mosh, headbang and scream in tandem with JB’s violent vocals) and once in D.C. when Jughead flew her to visit him. 

_Ahh Jughead…_

Betty feels her heart pound erratically in her chest as she thinks of her love. It’s been over a month since she has seen him – an _excruciatingly_ long time now that they are _finally_ together. She’s counting down the days until she finishes college and can move into his apartment in D.C.

Well, their plans are to find a new apartment because Jughead said it was important for them to create a new space and make it their own, together. Betty feels all warm and tingly now as she thinks about it, absently starting on a pot of mulled wine at the Jones stove. She’s vaguely listening to JB, but her words of record deals, Spotify results and tour schedules are not as ensnaring as thinking about Jughead. 

_Sorry JB,_ she thinks somewhat guiltily, catching her friend’s amused expression.

She still can’t believe that she’s gotten everything she wanted, she feels so insanely lucky and she can’t wait to tell Jughead the excellent news she’s just received. The letter is burning a hole in her large fluffy coat on the rack and she’s been _dying_ to spill her surprise for weeks now…

_Hold on girl, just a little while longer, he will be here soon._

~~~

Jughead feels antsy. 

Antsy in a sense that he feels like little critters are swarming through his blood and body and he is going crazy with _anxiety_ because all he wants to do is get on this fucking perpetually-delayed flight to Riverdale to see his gorgeous fiancée and the love of his life. 

Betty Cooper. 

His light, his love, his everything. 

It had been weeks too long since Jughead has last seen her, and that separation was (or still is) excruciating. After summer, she went back to college to finish her year and he returned to D.C., to reconnect with Charles and start working again after a three-month hiatus. 

Sure, he contends himself with their video calls, her gorgeous photos and the texts she sends him at odd hours of her random and hilarious thoughts. But he feels like he has barely survived these past five months, despite having seen Betty for a few weekends here or there – it was nothing compared to the intense and incredible experience of living with her over summer.

What frustrates him more is that he got roped in to support a case last-minute because one of the agents came down with a bad flu. Because of that sick jerk, Jughead had to push his flights back to the last minute and work relentlessly to ensure that he could make it to Riverdale. 

Charles – smart perpetually-on-holidays Charles – took an extra week off, so he was already on leave by the time that help was requested, and sent him pictures of he and Betty smiling into camera. 

Each photo made his heart clench horribly with desperate longing. 

When he finally lands in Riverdale, it feels like swimming in treacle. Time slows to a meander compared to the bustle of D.C. and Jughead grinds his teeth so often in frustration at the pace that he’s worried he will need a root canal. It takes forty-five fucking minutes to pick up his rental car and by the time he’s behind the wheel, he has to pause for two minutes to mentally calm himself before driving on the icy roads. 

JB’s latest EP accompanies him from the airport to the Jones house and he strides purposefully up to the door, knocking insistently. 

FP answers and Jughead vaguely grunts at him before he pushes past impatiently. He thinks he hears his dad chuckling in his wake, but barely has the energy or time to roll his eyes because he’s looking for his gorgeous, wonderful future wife. 

He enters the Jones family kitchen and somehow Betty is stirring at what looks like pot of mulled wine. Charles, Kevin, Veronica and JB are all chatting to her, but right now he only has eyes for his love. She’s in a stunning long red dress and her hair cascades down her back in waves. 

His heart pounds in his throat, as he takes a brief moment to let Betty’s radiance filter through his senses. She’s so exquisite and he still can’t believe that all of his dreams have come true. 

Her hand moves over the pot and her engagement ring catches the light, glinting. He can’t describe the myriad feelings that flood him when he sees it resting so effortlessly on her delicate fingers. 

_Mine._

Without further ado, he barrels through the people surrounding Betty (elbowing Kevin by accident) and sweeps her into his arms, fingers threading through her hair as he captures her surprised and pleased expression as his own. 

She makes an adorable muffled noise of excitement and he watches in delight as her eyes sparkle as she drinks him in. He kisses her hungrily; her lips are soft and she tastes of buttery shortbread. 

His hand “strays” to her thigh and he’s so unbearably turned on when his fingers brush Betty’s skin over her lace stockings.

“Are you wearing thigh-high stockings?” he moans against her perfect lips.

“Yes, shh,” Betty complains insistently, “Don’t you dare stop kissing me.”

He slides his hand up her smooth leg and pulls her flush against him, ravishing her sweet mouth.

Betty wraps her arms around his shoulders and mewls, bringing him closer to as she kisses him with open-mouthed desperation. 

Without thinking, Jughead lifts her up on to the bench and she wraps her legs around his midsection. He can feel how hot she is through her dress and his jeans and is _dying_ to shed their layers. Jughead tilts her head towards his so he can trace her pretty mouth with his tongue. 

She moans raggedly, hot, sweet breath curling over his lips.

“Charles, cover my eyes!” Kevin cries dramatically off to the side, “I fear I will get impregnated just by looking at them. Straight people, honestly.”

Betty pulls back from the kiss, eyes gleaming.

JB’s voice cuts across them. “Geez bro, get a room!” 

“Okay,” Jughead shrugs and hikes Betty off the bench into his lap so he can take her upstairs. “I mean, that’s an easy solve.”

“Not now son,” FP laughs loudly and JB spits out whatever drink was in her mouth all over the bench before cracking up raucously. “We are just about to have dinner.”

“Shame,” Jughead mumbles and Betty giggles, legs still wrapped around him. Jughead supposes he will feel embarrassed about this at some point, but right now he’s basking in the warm glow that is Betty’s presence and everything is _right_ in the world. He’s happy and no amount of teasing is going to take away the fact that he holds his _fiancée_ in his arms.

“Indeed,” his Betty hums and he turns back to stare in her eyes. She rubs her nose across his and it’s so adorable it makes him melt. “You can ravish me all night, future husband.”

Jughead’s whole body suffuses with a warm glow at her words and he kisses her again, moaning against her mouth. Her fingers nails dig into his shoulders, encouraging him to keep going. 

“Oh hi Jughead, darling.” Jughead hears his mother behind him and stills. He looks a little sheepish when he disentangles himself from Betty, placing her down gently, who looks like she’s trying not to laugh at the whole situation, with limited success. 

Jughead succumbs to the chaos that is his reunion. He is super frustrated that he didn’t get in last night because then he and Betty could have spent all night together and he would be way less – ah – _jumpy_ at present.

“Good one pyro mom,” JB approves loudly. “Or else you’d be having a fall grandchild.”

“Who said grandchild?” Alice Cooper coos excitedly and the embarrassment that Jughead failed to feel earlier decides to rear its ugly hear. 

“Me!” JB announces smugly and points between him and Betty. “Those two are practicing real hard, if you catch my drift Alice.”

Alice snorts in amusement and FP looks delighted. Jughead wishes he could dissolve into the floor. 

“Practise does make personal best,” Charles says serenely, though his lips are twitching.

Betty shakes her head at them and rolls her eyes. “Leave my future husband alone you scoundrels! You know he freaks out when you tease him!”

His heart still stutter sin his chest when he hears her call him that. 

“Aww,” FP croons, eyes alight with happiness. “You two are so cute.”

Alice sniffs into her sleeve, “I’ve been waiting so long for this to happen and it finally has!”

Betty, now stirring her mulled wine again, interjects impatiently, “Not as long as me, you haven’t.”

Gladys sighs and shakes her head. “If we could have arranged a marriage between you both, we would have. You are perfect for each other.”

Alice nods, eyes glistening with unshed tears and Jughead feels simultaneously horrified and mollified ( _hollified? How festive…_ ) by their words. 

“Yeah that pesky age gap though,” FP says gruffly. “Jughead was born too soon.”

Charles makes a noise of frustration. “Don’t be plotting to take my platonic pal away from me through your parental powers of paradoxical projection or something.”

“You’re really good at the P ones, Charles,” Betty acknowledges and Hal nods, impressed. 

“Yeah!” JB snarls, “Betty was mine first, Jug! Don’t you forget it! I kissed her before you as well.”

FP snorts.

He flips her the bird and she grins, flexing her muscles under the messy sweater Veronica knitted her. It has a Southside Serpent logo on it, but the snake is very wonky (“Ha! The snake looks drunk!” JB crowed when she showed him on FaceTime a week ago, “Veronica hates it and tries to destroy it when I take it off, but I think it’s even better like this because it looks like it wants to brawl. She’s a queen Jughead, honestly.”).

Jughead feels a warm glow of love for Charles and says, “I think everything turned out perfectly.”

Everyone in the room looks at him and he realises he doesn’t often address both families in such a manner. Kevin and FP are smirking; his mother is staring at him with a look of pride; JB is grinning widely, wrapped around Veronica; Charles and Hal are smiling sweetly, Alice is weeping into her French cuffs and Betty…

Betty is staring at him like he’s the only person in existence. 

She nods, a beautiful smile lighting up her being and every aspect of his heart. “Absolutely. I got all the Joneses.”

Kevin laughs at this. “Like a matched set?”

Betty grins and turns off the heat on the stove. “Yep, I got the best friend and the best guy a person could ask for and from my second parents too!”

FP chokes and Jughead thinks he’s actually blinking back tears. Gladys isn’t blinking them back; she’s opening weeping in joy. “Oh Betty darling…”

His parents bypass him and go straight for his fiancée, enveloping her into a giant hug. 

“We are so happy,” Gladys sniffs moments later when she pulls back. “JB has gorgeous and wonderful Veronica and Jughead has amazing and beautiful Betty! We are the luckiest in-laws ever! I can’t wait for the grandkids, right Alice?”

Alice hums excitedly. 

“Mom, please stop that!” Betty protests, “I’m twenty one, seriously! Pester my older siblings first, please!”

“Charles,” Jughead says, tilting his head towards Alice. 

Kevin takes pity on him (for once) and clears his throat. “Actually, Charles and I have an announcement to make.”

Alice actually swoons. 

“Oh my god,” she cries, jumping up and down, “You’ve filed the paperwork?”

Kevin nods excitedly and tucks Charles under his arm. “Yes! Everyone, Charles and I are on the adoption waiting list. We are in the process!”

Jughead grins; he knows this because Charles has spoken to him at length about the endless bureaucracy over many after work whiskeys, so much so that even _Kevin_ has gotten bored by the whole thing and would constantly leave them mid-conversation to go hang out with Dylan (“You married people are so boring,” he informed them sassily when he swanned off at every occasion). 

Betty gasps and leaps across the room to kiss Charles all over his face. Alice and Betty wrap him and Kevin into a Cooper classic and Hal bounces delightedly on his toes. 

“Congratulations you two!” Betty exclaims excitedly, eyes shining, “You’ll be the best dads ever!” 

Kevin ruffles her hair a bit and says, “Yeah it could take years though.”

“It will be amazing when it happens!” Alice says, wiping her tears on a handkerchief that Hal has produced from thin air. “You two make me so happy. Shall we get champagne?”

Kevin smiles as Alice kisses his cheek. “Well, Betty went to all that trouble for the mulled wine, so should we sample that?”

~~~

“So JB, how is the Serpents tour going?” FP asks brightly over dinner. JB had been posting her “Snakes on a Plane” tour photos on Instagram for months now; she even visited Betty for a weekend while they were playing in Chicago. 

“Good dad, good,” JB says serenely, holding Veronica’s hand. “Best stop was obviously LA and then Chicago because I got to see my two favourite ladies.”

“What about D.C.?” Charles whines softly. 

“Oh yeah, you guys were great, plus it was nice of Jug to fly Betty across to see my gig again!” JB smirks and then says, “It only took you both like ten minutes before I saw you sneak off to probably bang in the toilets or something.”

Jughead hears a choking sound escape him and Betty hums, casual as ever, “They weren’t bad toilets you know.”

Jughead coughs into his mulled wine and Gladys hands him a serviette with a smile. 

“Did you enjoy the gig, Veronica?” Gladys to the rescue.

“Always,” Veronica insists, “I love seeing JB play! Plus she’s been wearing some of the outfits I’ve been making for her, which makes me so happy!”

“And pisses off all my fans,” JB jokes, winking at Veronica’s subsequent dark look.

“Ugh those terrible those snake charmers,” Veronica snorts inelegantly and then claps her hand over her mouth like she’s surprise the sound has deigned to escape from her without expressed permission. 

“Snake Charmers?” Alice enquires curiously, helping herself to more roast potatoes. 

Veronica and JB share a look before Veronica squares her shoulders and responds, “JB’s groupies.”

“JB, you’re so cool!” Betty cries happily. JB waggles her eyebrows at her, face curving into a huge, smug grin. 

“You have groupies?” Jughead asks with a furrowed brow.

“Yeah, of course,” JB crows and then catches Veronica’s eye and manages to school her expression in to one of sheepishness. “Ah- because I am such a talented musician.”

Veronica smirks and kisses JB on the cheek, “You so are. And you’re very attractive. But your groupies are awful.”

JB laughs, “Yeah because they’re all jealous of you, babe. You’re hotter than all of them combined and they think you’ve made me soft.”

“She has,” Jughead snorts and takes a sip of the mulled wine. He hums in pleasure at the cinnamon and orange blend. Betty’s handiwork never fails to delight.

“Oi!” JB points at him emphatically over the dinner table. “You’ve gone just as soft, bro! Look at you making kissy faces at Betty.”

Jughead shrugs, super pleased with himself, “Yeah and?”

JB grins knowingly and flips him the bird. “Of course I’m soft for my girl, but death metal to everyone else.”

Veronica purrs in contentment and nuzzles her nose against JB’s. 

“That reminds me,” Jughead smirks, looking at his dad. “Did you end up getting a Serpents tattoo?”

JB barks out a laugh and looks at FP with sparkling eyes. “Dad, show him!”

FP stands up at the table and lifts his shirt. Jughead is impressed to see the large Serpent’s logo inked into his dad’s side. 

“Holy shit FP,” Kevin purrs, “That’s hot.” 

Charles chuckles and shakes his head; Jughead knows that Kevin has a bit of a thing for tattoos and has been trying to “hint” this at Charles.

“Thanks Kevin,” FP grins rakishly. “Now I get to both support and embarrass my daughter at her gigs.”

JB snorts and waves her hands. “Nah man, I have the coolest parents of all the Serpents, so I’m not going to be easily embarrassed. I mean, Sweet Peas parents are accountants, come on, they both wear _suits_ -,” she spits this word like it’s a piece of lint caught in her mouth, “- could they be any more square?”

Despite now ragging on other people’s parents, it makes Jughead weirdly proud to hear his sister admit that their parents no longer embarrass her. 

“Anyway, after college, Veronica is going to come touring with us, aren’t you?” JB looks to her girlfriend with huge puppy-dog eyes. 

Veronica nods and reaches across the table to hold JB’s hand. “I can’t wait. I will take my own car though, because there is no way I am riding in that trashy kombi van that Fangs spray painted with snakes.”

JB grins widely and agrees, “Plus you have to bring all your sewing and fashion stuff. You need to get yourself a roadie.”

“Joaquin will help me, he loves me,” Veronica states primly and Jughead is positively intrigued by the notion of precious rich heiress fashion-designer wannabe Veronica Lodge holding her own with metalhead Southsiders. 

“Everyone loves you,” JB announces proudly, “Even Toni.”

Jughead raises his eyebrows in abject disbelief. How influential is Veronica to bend Toni Topaz to her will? He is very grateful that Betty and JB act as a buffer to her illustrious black magic. On the other hand, Veronica is a powerful ally in many respects – she was the one who managed to get him his choice ring for Betty in a matter of days (though how that woman knew Betty’s _ring size off by heart_ still astounds him). 

Veronica tosses her hair over her shoulder, preening from the praise. “Thank you JB.” She turns her gaze on Jughead and obviously notices his incredulous expression because her lips twitch. “Speaking of love, how is the wedding planning going you two?”

“Ooo yeah!” JB’s head snaps towards him dramatically. Her mouth curves into a wicked smirk that spells trouble, “How do you find the time to do it? Sorry, I mean _plan._ ”

Jughead frowns as FP chortles, Kevin snorts and Alice slaps her hands over her mouth, eyes brimming with mirth. He feels like he missed a joke in there somewhere. 

“Because you’re always fu-”

“JB, language,” Gladys interjects primly and shoots him an apologetic glance. 

JB rolls her eyes and releases a gusty, petulant sigh. “Fine, but seriously. Tell us.”

“We are waiting for Betty to finish college before we start planning,” Jughead states and feels Betty’s hand warm his. He turns to her and smiles at her shiny-eyed expression. 

“Bullshit,” Kevin screeches (to Jughead’s delicate ears) from across the table. Jughead does not like the way Kevin is pointing at him in such an accusatory fashion.

“Excuse me?” Jughead says calmly, grinding his teeth in frustration. 

Kevin’s expression morphs from one of gleefully enacting punishment to one of incredible slyness. Jughead hates this look even more. 

“I’ve seen your scrapbook, Jughead,” Kevin says with all the self-satisfaction of a filthy nark. 

Rebuttals of “How are you!” and “Moi? A scrapbooker?” fail to alight his indignant brain because Betty makes a cute little noise and throws him off course completely so that he finds himself saying, “Just a few clippings for inspiration. Plus a list of possible venues…” 

Charles makes warm eye-hearts at him from across the table. “You’ve gotten so good at organisation, Jughead.”

Betty murmurs her agreement and squeezes his hand lovingly. 

“Thanks Charles,” Jughead whispers, throat catching. Truthfully, he has been slowly improving his organisational skills over numerous years, since starting at the FBI. Aside from the bachelor party, which may or may not have been self-sabotage for the sake of his own fantastical wish-fulfilment (since satisfied), Jughead likes to think that he is now an organised person. 

“We will definitely help with anything,” Charles tells him earnestly. “Given how much Betty helped us, we owe you.”

Betty giggles at his side and says in a devil-summoning voice, “Yes! I own your souls for this wedding!”

JB, naturally cackles in response and repeats the sentence in a death growl. 

The rest of the meal is chaotic as usual. 

~~~

“Since everyone has eaten,” starts Kevin excitedly looking around the table, “Do we want to play impersonations?”

“What's impersonations?” asks Betty, curiously.

Jughead turns to her with a smile. ““Impersonations” is a game that Kevin made up last Christmas when you had too much homework to attend. It’s essentially a game where we all try to impersonate someone at the table.”

Kevin brandishes his arms around and says animatedly, “It's a game where we all write down a person from this table and an action on a card. The cards go into a hat and then we all have to act out whatever we draw out! If you guess right, you act.”

“How does one win?” Betty asks.

Kevin shakes his head. “You know, it is more drunken nonsense than winning, Betty. Not everything in life is a competition.”

Betty pokes her tongue out at him.

“But we could end up with a lot of the same person right?” she points out as Kevin hands out little cards and pens.

Jughead snorts next to her and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, absolutely. Last time it was all about me getting drunk at the previous Christmas. There were three of those cards. I'm hoping this year the fate of the cards will even out a little more.”

JB snorts. “You wish, man. We got so much more fodder on you now.”

Jughead flips over the bird and grins, saying, “You know what? I'm not even mad. This year I'm just too happy to care.” He looks over at Betty, eyes shining in delight.

“Awww, so cute! But that's not going to get you out of it,” JB taunts and writes something down on her little card. Veronica angles her body closer to JB’s so that she can read what the card says. 

“Okay put them all in the hat,” Kevin requests and passes around one of Jughead’s old beanies. Betty sees the “politely interested” expressions on her parents’ and second parents’ faces as they put their cards in and just _knows_ that Jughead is going to be teased.

“Who wants to go first?” Kevin asks as he tosses the beanie around, shuffling the cards inside. 

“I’ll go first,” Jughead says and Kevin gleefully holds out the hat for him. Jughead takes a card and smirks as he looks at the contents. He stands up from the table and walks over to the centre of the living room. 

Betty watches in curiosity as he starts miming something with his hand, flicking his thumb up and then crouching down at a wall.

“Oh my god!” exclaims JB excitedly, “That’s mom! That’s mom setting fire to the Whyte Wyrm!”

Jughead grins at her. “JB, nice. Good one.”

JB takes Jughead’s place, picking a card out of the hat and grins widely when she sees it. She stands in the middle of the living room, puts a hand on her heart and looks utterly shocked as she looks around.

“Oh,” Gladys starts, “Is that Charles and his wedding?”

Charles makes a cute little noise and blushes. 

JB shakes her head. “Sorry mom, it's not Charles.”

“Hey! That's cheating JB!” cries Kevin loudly, “You need to play by the rules! Just say no.”

“There are rules?” Betty interrupts, looking around the table.

“Yeah, the rules are: don’t piss me off,” Kevin announces with a regal wave of his hand.

Jughead brushes her hair back and whispers softly in her ear, “And he calls me the diva? Really?”

Betty giggles and Jughead brushes his lips against her temple.

JB smirks in Kevin’s direction.

Charles laughs, “Is it dad being really shocked about all of the dictionaries at the local library?”

JB cackles, “Good guess Charles, but no.”

“Is it Jughead being scandalised about all the dangerous things I do?” Betty asks with a small giggle. Jughead turns that _exact_ scandalised expression on her as she says it.

“Oh my god, Betty yes!” JB crows excitedly and points at Jughead. “You're even getting him to make that look right now! How do you do it? You’re amazing, Betty. So impressive!”

Jughead scrunches his face but when Betty catches his eyes, he just manages to look exasperated and endearing.

Betty and JB high five as Betty takes her place.

Kevin throws her scrunched up card and it falls to the floor at her feet. 

Betty picks it up and reads it. It's an easy one: JB performing. Betty puts on her best rock star guitar performance capabilities for the group and FP cackles in delight, arms folded across his chest.

“It's my JB!” Veronica insists, “Being a metal babe! I would recognise that style anywhere.”

Betty blows Veronica a kiss and takes a deep bow to the surrounding applause. 

Veronica takes her place. 

Betty loves how relaxed and excited Veronica looks as she starts dancing. She performs a really bizarre combination of moves: some old school classics, some odd thrusting motions and some deep lunges. 

She’s so good at it that the entire family are laughing as the watch her.

Veronica performing is a sight to behold. Betty guesses that she would never express this kind of _behaviour_ at Lodge Manor, and it makes her so happy to watch her friend willingly make a fool of herself for the enjoyment of both her families. She’s smiling broadly as she moves around in her emerald green dress. 

Kevin gasps for air as he splutters, “Veronica, I really want you to keep going because this is honestly the most amazing thing that I've ever seen. But I know that you're pretending to be Charles and I am dying here. Dying.”

Veronica finally stops, gasping for air and joins in with the laughter. The two of them change positions.

Kevin chuckles when he picks up his card and walks to take his place in front of everyone. When he gets there, he starts frowning, pacing and crossing and uncrossing his arms.

“Oh that one is way too easy,” Charles says with a small laugh. “That one is Jughead. That's Jughead obsessing.”

“Why are all these about me?” Jughead complains. “Every year.”

“It's just been two years, Jughead,” Charles points out with a small smile, “It's a bit irresponsible to extrapolate from two data points. Remember we attended that stats refresher course last month?”

Jughead shakes his head, face scrunched.

Charles's card turns out to be Veronica designing, which Hal guesses. Hal re-enacts Kevin drinking and it takes them ten minutes to figure it out due to how terrible his acting is. 

By the time Alice guesses the right answer, Kevin is weeping with laughter, rocking back and forth in his chair on the verge of hysterics, hiccupping, “I fucking love this game.”

Alice regales the room with a rendition of FP setting up betting stakes. FP clearly loves her work as he applauds the loudest and longest once she finishes, despite having guessed within the first ten seconds.

FP gets up and starts searching the room, writing things down in an imaginary notebook and pulling at his hair as if he has a pretend ponytail.

“FP,” Betty says through giggles, “Are you pretending to be me?”

“Pretending to be you doing what, Betty?” FP prompts with a smirk.

“You’re Betty investigating!” Gladys interjects with shark-like precision.

“Betty just got undercut by Gladys! Oooh!” Kevin commentates, delighting in the drama of the situation. 

Gladys takes the last card from the hat and smiles fondly at the words upon. She places her hand over her heart, and gets down in front of one knee in front of Betty.

“Jughead proposing?” JB guesses loudly. Gladys shakes her head and makes a so-so motion with her hand.

“Is it Jughead being romantic?” Betty asks eyes shining at Gladys in front of her.

Gladys nods and excitement and looks between Betty and Jughead. “You two are so good for each other,” she whispers as she gets up and hugs Betty. “I'm so pleased for both of you.”

Jughead looks as he always does when his mom compliments him: weirdly pleased but terribly embarrassed. 

Betty loves it. 

JB looks excitedly around the table. “Do you guys want to play again?”

Jughead snorts, “No way! I feel like this is game is an entire conspiracy to embarrass me.”

“Oh drats,” Kevin says snapping his fingers together, “Special Agent Jones figured it out, Charles.”

Jughead rolls his eyes in Kevin's direction.

Charles ignores the two of them and walks over to the CD player at the edge of the room. 

Betty releases a small squeal of excitement at Charles as her favourite Christmas song permeates the room. 

Charles spins around at the table and places both of his hands on either side of his body, arching his back before kicking his leg out dramatically. He matches singing the lyrics word-for-word (albeit with a lot less musical talent than Mariah) as he struts his way over to the Christmas table.

Betty is jiggling with enthusiasm in her seat and holds her hand out for Charles to take. This is a customary part of the Cooper Christmases. Charles blows her a little kiss and instead sweeps past her to take Jughead into his arms.

Betty hears herself make a coo of adoration as her two favourite men get up in the Jones living room and start wacky dancing together. JB is cheering her heart out and attempting to death growl the lyrics to the song as Charles spins Jughead around vigorously.

Kevin looks upon the scene with an endearing smugness, clicking his fingers in time with the beat. Veronica seems enamoured by the two men dancing and Betty can't get over how much more confident Jughead is.

_He’s so unbelievably pretty…_

Jughead, oddly enough, seems to be having the time of his life. He is grinning madly and even singing along to some of the lyrics. He allows – enthusiastically – Charles to dip and spin him, laughing in happiness. 

Betty’s heart swells with love as she watches them and concedes that Charles could likely make anyone excited about dancing to Mariah Carey.

The parents are making soft sounds of adoration as they look at their sons having fun and acting like idiots. 

As the pace starts to pick up, Jughead and Charles split apart and attempt a really dorky Charlestown and Betty can't help but giggle at how adorable the two of them are, flicking their feet in time with the music and shimmering their hands like spirit fingers. 

She loves how Jughead acts with abandon, not feeling too embarrassed or shy to enjoy his dancing. She loves the chemistry between him and Charles and the love that rests between them. She feels incredibly blessed and happy that she has so many people in her life that are so wonderful and fantastic.

When the lyrics “I just want you for my own, more than you will ever know” play Jughead flicks the errant hair out of his eyes and stares directly at her with a cute, crooked grin on his face. He motions for her to join him, holding out his hand.

Betty laughs, positively enchanted, as she gets up from her chair and runs across the Joneses living room to grasp at his hand. Jughead spins her around, eyes shining, and pulls her flush against him so that they can sway together in concert.

This is the first time that Jughead has ever danced with them at Christmas and Betty is overwhelmed by how important it is to her. He looks so adorably happy and she feels like her heart is bursting. 

Soon everyone from the table floods the makeshift living room dance floor, putting their arms around each other and singing Mariah's words at the top of their lungs. JB continues her growls, Veronica is laughing, Kevin and Charles are making out and the parents are downing in cocktails and laughing amongst each other. FP’s singing is horrifically off-key, considering his musically talented progeny.

Betty turns her head to stare up into Jughead's eyes and thrills at the depth of love she sees within them.

“Do you want to head off?” Jughead whispers softly, eyes molten. “I want to run my fingers up your-,”

“Don't you dare leave!” JB accuses him from across the room, pointing at him viciously. “We have to do presents first before you run off!”

“Oh yeah,” Jughead laughs, “I forgot about presents. It's because I already-,”

“If you say it's because you already have everything you need right here,” JB interrupts, “Then I am going to punch you for being a sap. And then hug you because you're so fucking cute.”

Jughead grins at her, “Fine. I won’t say it then.”

~~~

They leave two hours later, after presents and dessert. 

The whole car ride home Jughead can feel Betty vibrating with excitement next to him. 

She caresses his inner thigh with soft fingers, humming along in happiness to whatever Christmas tunes are playing on the radio. Jughead tries to keep his eyes firmly on the road as he drives up into the mountains that surround Riverdale. He rented a cottage for them to stay in for the duration of the Christmas holidays, so that they could be close to the family, but not _too_ close. 

Mainly, Jughead’s holiday plans consist of making sweet, sensuous love to his incredible fiancée.

He's so fucking happy as he drives them up the mountainous routes, the high beams of the rental car lighting up snow drifts as they wind through the trees, listening to Betty sing-along to nonsensical Christmas songs.

Her fingers dance up his inner thighs, and he feels his body react, his blood simmering with anticipation at the thought of tasting and touching his love.

She shifts in her seat and crosses her legs in front of her, the split in her deep red dress parting at her upper thigh. In Jughead's peripheral vision he can see the edge of her lace top stockings encircling her smooth, creamy upper thighs like threads of black frosting on the most delicious of cakes.

He registers the pathetic moan that escapes him as if from a distance.

Betty giggles and grips his thigh, causing him to inhale sharply and reposition his hands on the steering wheel firmly at the ten-and-two position, forcing his eyes on the road ahead.

The trip takes way too long and for the whole drive his little green-eyed vixen watches him with gleeful anticipation as if she’s already undressing him.

He can't fucking wait.

Once they get to the cottage, Jughead opens the place up and immediately turns on the heating. Then, he goes back outside to the car and helps his future wife down the icy path in her pretty dress and shoes.

“You're so sweet, Juggie,” Betty purrs in his ear, her breath sweet and cinnamon-scented from the Christmas dessert. She looks so utterly adorable in her large fluffy coat so that he cannot resist kissing the tip of her nose in tenderness when they reach the threshold of the cottage.

“I love you so much,” he murmurs, lips brushing across hers in promise.

She hums against him, all hot and glorious despite the frostiness of the air. The look in her eyes is liquid as she stares at him and it makes him shiver with want.

“Come inside,” she croons, running her hand up his chest. He watches in sweet arousal as she licks her lips. “And I mean that in all senses,” she tells him, running her fingertips along his jawline as she walks past him.

“Let me just get the bags, Betts,” Jughead says, knowing that after getting naked with her he's not going to want to leave the warmth of her embrace for something is basic as toiletries. For the sake of future Jughead, he does himself a favour.

Tugging his jacket around his body to brace against the biting cold, he crunches through the foot of snow to the car. 

There's something so incredibly peaceful about snowfall; it dampens the sound, it softens the hard edges and mutes the environment. 

_It's also so much nicer when you're wrapped, naked around your future wife in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa in hands, breathless from your recent lovemaking session,_ he reminds himself of his holiday plans.

Or so he has been led to believe, because he's never done this before. It's not like he's had any serious relationships before Betty.

Jughead picks up the bags and walks them back inside dumping them unceremoniously by the door. Betty is leaning over the back of the couch, facing away from him and checking her text messages. 

Jughead can see the arch of her back and thinks about peeling the dress off her shoulders and running his tongue down her spine, from the nape of her neck to the tip of a tailbone.

The heater seems to be working, the sharp edge of cold dulled by the waves of rolling heat threading their way through the room. 

He goes to tuck the car keys into his Sherpa jacket and then put it on the coat rack, when his fingers brush over something in his pocket. It feels like silken fabric. 

Curious, Jughead pulls the object out of his pocket.

Smoothing it out in his hands he holds it out in front of him.

It's a tiny G-string.

“Um, Betty?” Jughead asks, curiosity and arousal lacing his tone as he feels a bolt of liquid heat shoot through him.

She hums but doesn't turn around. “Yes, Juggie?”

“Are you… ah… are you wearing underwear?” He is completely aware how scratchy and desperate his voice sounds and he doesn't care.

At this question, Betty fluffs her hair and curves around to stare at him, her eyes filled with highly questionable innocence as she pouts, “I don't know? Why don't you come here and find out?” 

As if he needs more invitation than that.

Jughead crosses the room with a stride, capturing Betty in his arms. She gasps and arches her back, pushing her ass against his jean-covered erection. Jughead snakes his hands over her smooth waist and up to cup her breasts, pulling her flush against him.

He croons hotly in her ear, “I guess I will just find out.”

His fingers trace messy circles around her nipples, and he revels in the delightful feeling of Betty pressing herself against him, grinding herself against his rigid length. 

He breathes in her delicious scent, nibbling at her ear lobe as she bucks against him, straining against his ministrations.

“Juggie!” she keens impatiently, chest heaving under his fingers caressing her pebbled nipples. She sways against him tantalisingly, each brush of her ass cheek sending shivers through his skin and making him moan piteously in her ear. 

Jughead releases one of her breasts to trace his hand up her leg, finding his way through the split in her dress. He feels disturbingly excited his fingers brush over the nylon and the lace tops to Bettys smooth upper thigh.

Jughead hisses in anticipation.

He trails his fingers further up until they ghosts over her naked hipbones.

“You're so naughty, future wife,” he purrs, hot breath ghosting the shell of her ear as she quivers against him. “When did you take off your underwear?”

“Just before dessert,” she admits with a breathy moan that he adores. “I was hoping you would notice much earlier than you did.”

He dances his fingers up over the globes of her ass cheek, down the cleft until he brushes his fingertips along her dripping quim. Betty gasps and her hips twitch against his hand.

Jughead chuckles in her ear, pleased that _for once in his life_ he has the upper hand on his lover. 

“Why did you want me to find them earlier?” Jughead asks her, his fingers teasing, making taunting and incomplete circles around her clit while his other hand massages her supple breast.

He loves it when she squirms in his arms and admits in a soft and desperate voice, “I wanted to drive you crazy. I wanted you to think about me sitting at the table with no underwear on.”

The thought of her sitting through dessert with a smug look on her face, knowing that she had no underwear on makes him even harder, if possible. Like a fucking animal, he ruts against her leg and hisses in anticipation.

“Betts,” Jughead groans against her neck, kissing, licking and biting every inch of her in his reach as she writhes in his arms, “You make me so fucking crazy regardless. I've been dying to see you… I've missed you so much.”

He traces his fingers in circles around her clit and Betty rolls her hips, brushing his throbbing erection through his jeans.

“I've missed you so much too, Juggie,” she whispers, voice laced with need, “Please don't make me wait longer.”

“Of course my love,” Jughead acquiesces and pushes his fingers inside her, gasping at the feeling of her _sheer_ heat as he curls his digits. 

Betty keens and tilts her head towards him, twisting around so that she can capture his lips with her own, their hot breath entangling as he thrusts his fingers inside her.

“Please Juggie,” his fiancée begs him, her hands making their way behind her back tug at his suspenders.

As soon as Jughead catches the aroused, glazed look in her eyes something inside him snaps.

“Yes,” he promises hastily, releasing her with tenderness so that he can tear off his clothes. He feels stupid that he wore suspenders under his Christmas sweater because at this point, it’s a logistical nightmare.

Betty braces herself on the couch, watching him from beneath her lashes. She purrs her approval as he undresses, and he thinks that he’ll never get tired of the way she looks at him; like she wants to devour him.

It's an incredible and heady feeling.

“Get your pants off, Jones,” she teases, tossing her hair behind her shoulder so that she has unhindered viewing rights to his graceless divestment. “Yum, Just what I need.”

“Ahhh you vixen,” he hears himself kiss as he pulls out his rigid cock and stokes himself a few times in readiness.

Jughead runs both his hands up the length of Betty's lace-top stockings, and lifts her dress up, exposing her naked ass. 

He makes a pathetic sound of a longing as he grabs both cheeks in his hands and squeezes tightly. Betty groans and leans further over the couch and he can't stand how sexy she looks draped over the back of the couch in those stupidly hot stockings. 

“Do you like my stockings?” his future wife asks him with that devilish expression of innocence. “I bought them for you.”

She's so addictive and she feels so good. He digs his fingertips into her ass cheeks and releases them, loving the ensuing jiggle.

“You know what I love, Betty?” Jughead asks huskily as he brushes the head of his cock against the dripping entrance, eyes crossing with the divine pleasure of it.

“Tell me,” she orders, voice marred by her exquisite, breathy little gasps.

“You,” he chokes out as he thrust into her liquid heat.

It's something he’ll never get used to, making love to Betty Cooper. It’s something divine and transcendent and it makes him feel like a fucking god.

No matter how many times he's had the unique and singular pleasure of bringing his future wife to orgasm by his hand, mouth or cock, he will never tire of it.

The acute feelings of desperation, pent-up over the last few weeks of not seeing each other make him fraught with want as he thrusts into her again, watching her gorgeous ass jiggle against the back of the couch.

She curves her body so she can look up at him, the neediness in her green eyes making him feel hot all over as he thrusts into her again.

“You’re so perfect,” he croons is she clutches his cock with a dripping urgency.

Betty cries out, tossing her hair back, “Juggie, you're so pretty give me more.”

He sees the glint of the engagement ring, his mark on her skin, his declaration of his undying affection that she wears everyday and chokes, leaning forward and driving into her with a delicious abandon. 

Jughead loves her sounds, breathy or otherwise as he thrusts into her, holding her hips firmly so she stops wriggling. 

With her hair thrown over her shoulder, Betty turns to pin him with her molten stare and he chokes out a single profanity, “Fuck.”

She arches, meeting him thrust for thrust; sliding herself along his length with a devious look in her eye. He loves that she knows him so well.

Jughead fists a hand in her hair and holds her still, denying her control. She mewls in frustration and grinds herself back against him, pushing her hips insistently. 

He smirks, tightening his grip on her hip and hair and thrusts into her slowly. “I can’t believe you went without underwear for dessert.”

“I can do it whenever,” River Vixen Cooper promises him with a cute growl. She moans breathlessly as he thrusts into her in one smooth movement, bottoming out. 

“Betts, you make me crazy,” he hisses and watches in pleasure as she braces herself against the back of the couch as he pushes into her.

He revels in her keening moans and holds her hips firmly as he increases his pace, murmuring his love to his future wife.

"Jughead, I-," she starts, voice raw and the desperation takes him to edge and he can feel her tightening around his cock.

He feels her pussy clamp down around him, hot and prefect, as they come together, hissing and gasping in pleasure. 

“I love you,” he whispers raggedly against her hair, pressing kisses over every inch of her he can reach, hugging her from behind. “You’re so gorgeous.”

“I love you too,” she sighs and he helps her up, handing her some tissues from the nearby table. 

Once she has righted herself, she looks up and grins cheekily at him. “Juggie, do you want your Christmas present now?”

Jughead smirks at her, closing the gap between them to capture her lips with his own. “I thought we weren’t doing Christmas presents?”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes before gesturing around her person. “What do you call this holiday?”

“Investment into my sanity?” Jughead counters and brushes his nose against hers in endearment when she makes a squeaking noise of protest. 

“Fine, well,” Betty starts, “The present is for both of us.” She disentangles herself and walks over to her coat. He watches her withdraw an envelope and hands it to him. 

It’s blank and Jughead raises an eyebrow at her before he opens it. There’s a piece of paper inside that he draws out and reads. 

The first thing he notices on the piece of paper is the blue and gold seal in the corner and his heart clenches, trying to focus on the words. 

He reads them three times before they start to make sense in his brain. “Wait, what?” he says confusedly, shaking his head in disbelief. “I thought you wanted to be a journalist?”

Betty shakes her head and smiles up at him, her eyes sparkling. “I decided that I love the investigation more than I do the writing and editing aspect… so I thought… are you upset?”

“Of course not!” he whispers, reaching out to her, his voice filled with emotion. “You’ll make an amazing FBI agent, my love.”

She coos in happiness and kisses him. He feels her soft lips meld with his and drinks in her little gasps of pleasure before a thought crosses his mind and he pulls back and teases, “This means I get to call you “rookie” now, Betts.”

Betty snorts and tosses her hair back. “No Jug, you will refer to me by my proper title.” 

“Which is?” He stops the smirk from blooming on his lips in response to her bossiness.

“Special Agent Jones.”

**Author's Note:**

> BETTY IS IN THE FBI! YES! Back to my favourite things to write (lol). Next part will be a multi-chapter work of Special Agent Jones and Future Jones going ~~~under-cover~~~ and will be out sometime next year!
> 
> Have a safe and happy holidays you gorgeous people!!! All the love <3 Georgie x x x


End file.
